Lehdistötiedotteet - WRS season 51 preview: Hunter is die, thank you forever

WRS season 51 preview: Hunter is die, thank you forever

(Not actually dead, just retired)

Following the shock bankruptcy heard around the WRS paddock, it seems inevitable that Visvaldis Ceļš will win title #6 this season. But perhaps that would be selling the challengers short. We all know about Ceļš by now: 5 titles, 62 wins, and a ton of skill behind the wheel. Let's talk about the other 8 entrants for this season;

Pankrác Zatáčka: Two WRS wins in the past, but last season the closest they came was +30.898 in Finland. Zatáčka did however still finish 3rd in the championship, and is now the 2nd favourite to win moving forward.

Artis Rezervists: A great debut season as Artis finished 4th overall, one point behind 3rd. It's hard to picture the former WRS-2 champion doing much better though, as their driver attributes don't scream title contender.

Jan Zhuk: Jan on the other hand, could have a breakthrough year. 5th in the championship last season, but 3rd was possible if not for 2 DNF's. They'll be hoping to finish all 14 rallies this season, though not at the expense of pace.

Juan Ciani: They're making up the numbers for the time being, but show promise of something more in a couple of seasons if they can refine their rally specific skills.

Chloé de Saint-Germain: In the conversation for best MRC driver to never win the F1 championship. These days Chloé just drives for the fun of it, and has been recently battling...

Craig Gardner: Despite reports to the contrary, Gardner will return to the WRS. But Ejide will not be returning with him; Mahmoud Yehia moves up from WRS-3 to become Craig's new co-driver.

Colin Crash: The WRS-2 champion finally makes the move up to the top series, and is already being tipped as the dark horse for rally wins this season as they've shown a lot of pace during their junior career.

Robert Gualke: The other WRS rookie is moving across from World GT, though they have raced WRS-2 before, finishing 7th. Robert's biggest achievement to date was winning the TCS Benelux Series in season 47.

It all begins again in 2 days. Can any of these challengers step up, or is the main battle this season for 2nd rather than 1st?